OMG! awful!

So, so, so bad...

Yuch. I like the "before" so much better.

I could imagine one of them grass reed things just falling off in the middle of the night and stabbing you!

Having said that the second picture is better than the first. The black and white curtains look like they should belong in a shower.

I like the whole concept, however, they all look really really tacky.

I'm thrilled we all agree...lol.

Not bad. The "before" picture is much more my style, but the truth is, many people want a more colorful and less minimalist look with stuff that matches. Not everyone enjoys shopping around and carefully picking out one's furniture/decorations, and this way, people get the look they want without having to hire an expensive decorator. Who cares if it's all from a "kit", as long as the person living there is hapy with their space!

I think it's a great concept that might need a little refining. There are a lot of people who haven't the knack of decorating or simply don't want to be bothered. This could give their place a bit more personality than just blank walls.

My eyes!!!!! My eyes!!!!!

The problem is, the kit is overly design-y. It gives the room "theme park" look rather than real style. If the components were simply coordinating colors and patterns, that would be useful.

I like the idea, but not the outcome. I have a lot of friends who could use a little inspiration in a box like this - decor seems so...foreign to them unless it's candles and fabric stuck to the wall.

Like others, I have no problem with the concept itself -- but the results pictured here are truly awful.

So many people don't decorate at all because they're nervous about figuring out "matches". If these kits help people transform their beige-box rooms, then that's great. These kits aren't a poor solution for people who love design, they are an excellent solution for people who avoid it.

I love the second one and it goes much better with what seems outside the window.

And hey, it's a jumping off point, if it gets people started/interested in design, I think it's a great idea.

I shrieked audibly the moment the page loaded. And not in a positive way.

And actually the before isn't all bad! Kind of a white sanctuary bedroom.

Ok, all this really depends on where you started. For example, I met a couple in their 30s whose house was decorated with their highschool prom photos, fake flowers, and 'precious moments' prints and figurines. This wasn't intentional kitsch, either. These packages would have been a HUGE improvement for them.

That said, I like the white 'before' pics better.

I thought we shot this lame idea down last year.

Actually I think this is a pretty good idea for select target groups, like teenagers or children. The two shown here aren't bad, I'd leave the grassy things off the wall in the second one and I'm not that fond of the curtains in the second one either but I don't feel the need to lie down in a dark room for a while like some seem to after looking at the photos.

I like the idea, and can think of umpteen applications for it. Depending on the price too...

I can see it being the thing to buy when you get your first apartment. The black and white, for instance, is a classic color combo. Dramatic. And after all, the folks here have been ga-ga over the zebra and brocade and black and white stuff from Brocade Home for awhile.

Not everyone can afford to go out and BUY cowhides printed in a zebra pattern out of high school or college. Hello?

Secondly, from an environmental aspect, it makes sense to have everything come at the same time. No extra trips finding things to start with. No 15 delivery vans coming in to drop off far away finds.

Likewise with the green package. Folks have put in all kinds of green walls and talk about greenery, and the environment. But they don't like the green package? Huh!

Look at the before, it could be anyone's starting place. Bed with no headboard. Almost the kind of bookshelves that are made from bricks and fence boards.

It gives the rooms a sense of being "finished" and helps to start a person on a style. Over time, as funds increase, various parts can be upgraded.

The person who starts with black and white might end up here someday:
http://www.momoy.com/2007/11/06/traditional-interior-design-with-zebra-patterns/

And here's an old favorite that could end up being where the person who has the green package arrives someday:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2006-entries/13-jane-darkos-cozy-thicket-007003

And in both cases, the people don't have to dump what they have, just add to it. It gives the person a CLEAR direction to go, a focus.

If it's not too costly, it could also be a way of trying out a couple different looks to decide WHICH is the direction to go. Or providing seasonal changes.

Again, I think it's a great idea that needs a bit of tweaking to work well.

I definitely would NOT want one of these for Christmas. And if I got one, I might re-gift it to someone I don't like...lol. That said, I think the IDEA is a great one. If the included items were of better quality and the designers putting them together put more thought into them, they could really help the design-challenged among us. I know a couple of family members who would love to be able to open a box and have their whole room done without having to think about it. Personally, I love the hunt for decor items for my rooms.

I think the idea has lots of potential, but it needs some refinement before I can give it my stamp of approval.

what's wrong with the stark white look?

Jennae, if it's TOO costly, then it's priced out of the reach of the people that it's intended for.

The people that can afford an interior designer and give that designer carte blanche to redo their home, this is not their product.

The people that already have a sense of decor AND enjoy searching out the various things to pull together a look, this is not their product.

In fact, this is not even the product for the people who can shop at one store and buy all the accessories. Like Target when it has various collections, like when it had the Shabby Chic line. You COULD pull together a room or home by visiting all the departments. Picking up towels and bedding and objects and furniture covers.

But there are people that have NO TIME or NO CLUE. This is THEIR product.

The people who would not know that it's OK to mix stripes with florals. Or brocade with zebra.

Why, just on this AT page I noticed this black/white floral sofa with black trim from Anthropologie:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/sales-events-calendar/chi-sales-calendar-061208-053301

And this black/white zebra ottoman with white trim:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/scavenger/ny-scavenger-thomas-obrien-for-target-walnut-bookcase-for-200-053305

Now, that's real zebra. I have the feeling that most of us can't afford real zebra, and many of us don't WANT real zebra. And there's no price there either.

The sofa is $1,500.00. People starting college in a small apartment aren't usually out spending $1,500.00 on a sofa.

They aren't, are they? Ha!

It's got to be inexpensive. So it's not going to be the highest quality. Save that for the future and the big time jobs.

I am not a big fan of this product in particular, but I think the idea of "room in a bag" is not a bad one at all.

There are 2 kinds of people: people who love to make every decision about their space and use it as a canvas to express themselves and people who just want the room to look great so they can move on and do other things that are more important to them. Its analogous to car shopping: there are people who can spend hours tricking out their ride and tinkering with the mechanics, and others who just want to turn the key and go.

The interiors industry really doesn't have a good, cost effective alternative for people who just want to turn the key and go. You can buy furniture in sets, but a finished interior is way more than just furniture.

Did anyone else go over to the site?

They have the items available individually too. The nature green pillows? About $45.00 EACH, U.S.

About $38.00 for the black/white curtains.

Check out the neat retro throw pillows:
http://www.decoexpresso.com/coussins/esprit_brocante-c-23_54.html

Although I might try to eat the cookies on the pillows here:
http://www.decoexpresso.com/coussins/kids_-_babys-c-23_50.html

There's even a money pillow:
http://www.decoexpresso.com/coussins/mots_et_merveilles/coussin-money-p-393.html

And I'm not quite sure why they have sticker of an IKEA mirror:
http://www.decoexpresso.com/stickers/contemporain-c-38_43.html
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90081723

And there's a bunch of places that need...NEED...one of these:
http://www.decoexpresso.com/stickers/pour_enfant/sticker-merci-br-50%E2%82%AC-p-264.html

I didn't see the women's version, but ladies, please, quit with the hula dancing while urinating.

I like the idea . . . just be careful picking the color. I actually like the black and white best.

I think it's just a wonderful idea. Because it can give a person a very decent look pretty quickly, and then they can add things to it, to make it more personal.

For instance, that whole green thing could be the background for things with flowers; or it could go into a zoo direction with wild animals here and there. I'm thinking children for both of those, but also, you could do blue walls and have a very outdoor look with that.

The black and white look COULD look very much like Marlon's Green Pad (which by the time it appeared in the Apartment Therapy Presents... book had been painted blue, and became Marlon's Blue Pad), where most of his accessories were black and white, but his wall color was the changeable variable.

I think this is just brilliant.

ugh. i agree on liking the 'before' better. no creativity in the selections and everything is just wayyyy too matchy.

that sounds wretched. i might not be any decorating wizard, but off-the-rack color-coordinated things just always looked ... cheap and creepy to me.

My name is Geraldine Barry , I'm french (please forgive my "english"), I created www.decoexpresso.com and the famous Deco Boxes commented above.
When I have imagined these boxes, I intended to offer a quick, easy, cheap solution for people who want to live in a cosy home.
>Everyone doesn't have time to spend in shops (all the more as you live in big towns with a lot of traffic),
>everyone doesn't have the chance to have several stores nearby his home
>some people just don't know how to choose furnitures and accessories and can't imagine how match things together
>and finally others can't spend thousands of € or $ to live in confortable and lovely rooms (Deco Boxes cost between 300$ and 500$ for ~15 items)
The 6 styles represent the big tendancies of this year on the french market and they can be different in New York ; despite I love New York and I wich I could go back to Manhattan for the 8th time!
I thank all the people who, via their comments, help me to keep on going my business, because starting a company is not always easy (at least in France);
I take into account some of the remarks made by others who don't seem to appreciate the product; it can help to improve the idea and the realisation...but I 'm a bit surprised of the "hardness" of some comments...it's nothing but accessories, fashion and pointless things to help some people feel better at their home and in their life...don't take it too seriously! Decoration is just a game...